1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a materials handling apparatus and method. More specifically, the present invention comprises apparatus and method for the selection and treatment of erose solid materials; and still more particularly, the apparatus and method of this invention is a solids separator and/or a pre-extractor system for extractors used to remove a liquid from a solid carrier medium in which the liquid is entrained.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The handling and treatment of erose materials is a necessary process which traverses a broad range of commercial and industrial operations. A vast array of materials handling systems and methods exist in the prior art. These systems and processes include such well-known functions as the transporting, selection, separation, liquid extraction and storage of selected solid materials. For example, transport is often done by means of a conveyor system; sorting, selection and separation are often accomplished through the use of a rotating, tumbler-like drum; and extraction is often accomplished by moving the solid materials through a tank which carries a solvent. These and many other forms of materials handling are well-known in the art, and various combinations thereof are also well-known in the art.
See, for example, International Patent Publication No. WO 94/26377. This international application is entitled CONTACTOR CONSTRUCTION and describes in full detail a material handling system which includes a tumbler or rotating drum for treatment and selection of erose materials. Though cited here as an example of the prior art within the field of the present invention, it should be noted that the form of drum or tumbler device described in the cited patent publication is, in its specifics, significantly different than a rotating drum which is used in, and forms a part of, the present invention, and which is more fully described below.
Yet another example of the general prior art may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,060 issued Jun. 14, 1988 for an EXTRACTOR, and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. This patent for an improved extractor defines a system for conveying solid materials through a solvent tank and for removing a liquid from the solid materials in which the liquid is entrained. The cited patent utilizes a serial group of transport devices in the form of conveyor belts mounted in a large solvent tank and apparatus for the removal of the treated materials. Though the present invention also uses at least one liquid holding tank and a plurality of conveyor belts, these items, by themselves, are well-know in the prior art, and it is in the specific construction of the system using these devices and the process for handling the materials where the present invention lies.
One of the problems associated with the plethora of prior art in the materials handling field of the present invention is difficulty in finding a known system of devices or processes which will accomplish specific purposes required for a desired commercial or industrial use. The apparatus of this invention overcomes certain problems of the prior art by providing a specific construction of devices, utilized in a unique process, each of which construction and process comprise portions of the present invention, more fully described below.